Winner of the 2010 Statewide EMC Award!

The Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) of Dutchess County, NY is a tool that is available to local municipal officials to help guide land use decisions and allow the community to consider innovative tools for natural resource protection. 

The NRI catalogues the natural resources of the county and interprets the findings.  EMC members, municipal officials, planning boards and zoning boards of appeals, conservation advisory commissions, and watershed organizations can use the NRI to help inform land use decisions, guide in the development of policies, and identify areas for natural resource conservation and management. 

The NRI is a key tool that can be used during the comprehensive planning process, for preparation and review of proposed development plans, and to assist in completing environmental assessment forms.  Members of the public, students and teachers can use the NRI as a general source of information about the county, and to enhance their place-based environmental curriculum and teaching.

The Dutchess County NRI is available as an electronic document on the Dutchess County Planning Website.  Each chapter is available for download as a PDF document. You must have Acrobat® Reader™ to view the chapters of the NRI.  To download each chapter individually, click on the links below (chapters listed without a link are currently being updated and will be put online soon.)

• Cover, Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents (.pdf)  
• Chapter 1: Introduction to the NRI of Dutchess County (.pdf) 
• Chapter 2: Climate and Air Quality of Dutchess County (.pdf) 
• Chapter 3: Geology and Topography of Dutchess County (.pdf)  
• Chapter 4: Soils of Dutchess County (.pdf)  
• Chapter 5: Water Resources of Dutchess County (.pdf) 
• Chapter 6: Biological Resources & Biodiversity of Dutchess County (.pdf) 
• Chapter 7: Designated Significant & Protected Areas of Dutchess County (.pdf)
• Chapter 8: Geospatial Resources of Dutchess County (.pdf)
• Chapter 9: Implications of the NRI for Local Decision-Making (.pdf) 

Provide your Feedback on the updated NRI on the Dutchess County Planning Website Comment Form.

Learning Activities drawn from the pages of the NRI
Chapter 2: Climate and Air Quality of Dutcheess County

• Understanding the Normal Monthly Precipitation Graph on Page 10
• Understanding the Annual Precipitation Graph on Page 11
• Understanding the Mean Temperature and Total Precipitation Graph on Page 8

Dutchess County Natural Resource Inventory (1985) – Click the link to access PDF versions of the 1985 Dutchess County NRI chapters and natural resource maps.

 
The 2010 Dutchess County Natural Resource Inventory was developed through a collaboration between several agencies and organizations, including Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County’s (CCEDC) Environment and Energy Program (lead agency); Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development; Dutchess County Environmental Management Council (EMC); Dutchess County Office of Computer Information Systems (OCIS); and the Vassar College Environmental Research Institute.   The NRI Steering committee provided guidance for the entire project, and collaborated with local experts and scientists to update each chapter of the NRI.